Syllabus
Preliminary schedule of the seminars: 1st Seminar
Introduction to the course: the sources, exam requirements and conditions of effective work in the classroom. Overview of the mechanism set forth by the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR). 2nd Seminar
Admissibility criteria of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). Work with the decisions of the ECtHR regarding the inadmissibility of complaints. Analysis of the incompatibility racione loci, raione temporis, racione personae, ratione materiae. Explanation of the basic principles of interpretation of the ECHR: “margin of appreciation”, “living instrument”, “subsidiarity” and others. 3rd Seminar
Rights relating to personal liberty (Article 2-5 of the ECHR). 4th Seminar
Rights related to spiritual freedom (Articles 8-12 of the ECHR). 5th Seminar
Rights related to the procedural safeguards (Articles 6, 7 and 13 of the ECHR). 6th Seminar
Protocols to the Convention - Right to protection of property (Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 to the ECHR). 7th Seminar
Some of the other rights guaranteed by the ECHR. 8th Seminar
Rights of legal entities under the ECHR. 9th Seminar
Moot court on a given topic. 10th Seminar
The ECHR through the government eyes. Practical guidelines for the preparation of the government’s observations as to alleged violations of the ECHR. The seminar will be held by a representative of the Office of the Government Plenipotentiary for representing the Czech Republic before the ECtHR. 11th Seminar
The work of the Venice Commission and the Case-Law of the ECtHR. Comparison of the Case-Law of the ECtHR with the other mechanisms (e.g. the European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) and the US Supreme Court). 12th Seminar
Final comments to the ECHR. Recommendations on preparing for the exam. 13th Seminar
Workshop at the European Court of Human Rights in June 2020
Annotation
This compulsory optional course is intended for the students with good knowledge of English who want to learn how to effectively search, evaluate and interpret the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights (hereinafter referred to as “the ECtHR”). The course will deal with examining of the impact of the case-law of the ECtHR on the decision-making activities of administrative bodies and courts in the Czech Republic. Knowledge, particularly in the area of the right to a fair trial, will also serve as a good preparation for the final examination. Apart from this, the subject will provide students with the opportunity to improve their skills in speaking and writing in English.
At the end of the course, the students will have a possibility to visit the hearing of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg (France) and take part in the workshop given by a lawyer of the European Court. They will have an opportunity to visit the Library of the Court, the Department for Execution of the Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights and the other bodies of the Council of Europe.